Mark Cote Takes His Place as Salsarita's VP of Operations

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Salsarita’s, the national Fresh Mexican Cantina, is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Cote to the corporate team as vice president of operations.

Cote brings more than 30 years of operations experience in the restaurant industry to Salsarita’s. He will lead the franchise business consultant team, as well as the menu development, design and construction, and training departments.

“Having recently relocated to the Charlotte area with my family, I was eagerly seeking a company that would be the right fit for my experience and skill set,” Cote says.

“Salsarita’s restaurants are clean, the food is fresh and plentiful, the speed of service is amazing, the atmosphere is fun and upbeat thanks to great employees, and the customers are excited to be there,” he adds. “I really look forward to meeting each franchisee and working to make Salsarita’s even better.”

Cote most recently ran the operations of Boston Bread, the Panera Bread franchisee in Boston, overseeing the day-to-day operations of 16 Panera locations and 750 employees.

Before that, Cote worked for Friendly Ice Cream Corporation, starting as a district manager and moving up the ladder through training and human resources positions to director of operations and director of training and development.

Cote also worked in restaurant operations for brands like D’Angelo Sandwich Shops and Darden York Steak House.

“Mark brings a great deal of experience and talent to our team,” says president and COO Larry Reinstein. “His people-development skills are going to greatly benefit our organization and franchise system as we grow.

“His pedigree with industry-leading brands will lead to better day-to-day operations,” he continues. “Finally, his energy for the job is unsurpassed. We are very confident that Mark will be a great fit for Salsarita’s.”

Founded in 2000 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Salsarita’s operates more than 80 franchised locations in 19 states.

Two restaurants are company-owned. Salsarita’s expects to have at least two to three new franchise agreements signed before the end of 2012, with long-range projections calling for more than 300 locations nationwide over the next several years.